"StarCraft, one of the most popular games ever made, also serves as the perfect proving ground for artificial intelligence. Here's the inside story of how a Berkeley team won the world's first StarCraft AI competition with code that can beat even pro-level human players."

You are completely missing the point. Its one thing to create a fps bot where reflexes count as much as anything. There, the computer has a huge advantage. Its quite another thing to build a bot that plays a strategy game where quickness counts for very little. Not to mention, this AI had three main tasks (outlined in the article) not just combat like a fps. This is quite an impressive showing. Also note, that while the short term goal is to beat a human, the real competition is beating the other AI's.

You are completely missing the point. Its one thing to create a fps bot where reflexes count as much as anything. There, the computer has a huge advantage. Its quite another thing to build a bot that plays a strategy game where quickness counts for very little.

Yup. FPS AIs are relatively straightforward - one unit to manage, shoot at whatever moves, and if nothing to shoot, go and find something. It might also handle simple objectives like "guard the base" or "fetch the enemy flag".

An RTS AI needs to do that for hundreds of units of differing capabilities, and make them work as a team - e.g infantry need to engage the enemy without getting pulped by their own artillery and air support. The RTS AI also needs to produce all those units, working out which ones it needs (or can afford), and needs to obtain the resources to build them with. It's a much higher level of complexity than the FPS AI...

Hmm.. reading the article in more detail, it looks like having recognised those difficulties, they've chosen to avoid them as much as possible, rather than solve them - focusing on one versatile unit so as to simplify teamwork and build management...